Donnybrook Fair

John James Barralet , Irish, 1747-1815

Title

Donnybrook Fair

Datec.1779-1795

MediumGraphite, ink and grey wash on paper

Dimensions

47 × 74.6 cm

Credit LinePurchased, 2024

Object numberNGI.2024.2

DescriptionBarralet offers a spirited and amusing depiction of an annual Fair that was already notorious for drinking, casual sex and fighting with shillelaghs, some of which were weighted with stones to increase their impact. Such shillelaghs, together with other clubs, are already raised for combat, at a bare-knuckle boxing bout, shown in the left-hand corner. Barralet shows a broader range of social classes than the other visual source of the period, which were Francis Wheatley’s watercolours, inspired by his 1770-80 Dublin visit (NGI and YCBA). Drunken woman are sprawled on the ground, oblivious that the wheel has come off an arriving cart, which carries more refined visitors. There are carriages, gig and carts beyond. To the right, there appears to be a pickpocket stealing a handkerchief from a lady giving alms to a beggar woman. Although, there is alcohol for sale on a trestle table, food was usually cooked in pen-air pots and most drinking took place in temporary tents, as seen further off. There is some truth to the topography. A distant church tower would be St Mary’s in Donnybrook village (now demolished).

Donnybrook Fair dates back to the royal charter of King John in 1204, the opening date being 26 August by the late 13th century. It was, officially, suppressed in 1855, after a campaign led by the Catholic Church. Located on Fair (or village) Green, the original intention was for the selling and bartering of livestock and goods. It later attracted traders in fine cloths, even moneylenders from Lucca and Florence. A toll was exacted on every transaction. Socialising always played a part, the income from trade so reduced by the 1690s that Dublin Corporation sold the rights, which then passed through local families. The 18th century has left a succession of horrified accounts of the Fair, which fuelled a stereotypical view of the lower orders. In 1751, the Mayor of Dublin took his picquet guard to pull down the tents and stop the “vile proceedings”, while “Upwards of 50,000 persons visited the Fair the last Sunday [the only day off for many] and returned to the city like drunken savages” (Freeman’s Journal, 1778). In addition, Dublin Magazine (1790) had a satirical poem about “that celebrated nuisance Donnybrook fair”.

John James Barralet, of Huguenot background, attended the Dublin Society Schools in 1760s, under James Mannin, where he won a premium for landscape in 1764. He worked in Dublin to 1700, then spent almost a decade in London, as teacher and occasional exhibitor. This work fits the time 1779-95, when he was back in Ireland, engaged on recording Irish antiquities and country seats, for subsequent engraving. He emigrated to Philadelphia in 1795 and became known for subjects on American themes.
ProvenanceChristie's (in association with Hamilton Osborne King). 29 June 1994, lot 23, estimate £10-15 bought in; James Larkin, Northern Ireland date unknown; bequeathed c.2011 to family member; Purchased 2024Exhibition HistoryAn exhibition and sale of 18th-20th century Irish paintings, Gorry Gallery, Dublin, 8-29 June 2023, no.7